Reading/Mexico Readers Research/Dean and Student

We interviewed a PhD student at a medical school. Partway through the interview, the dean of the school joined the interview.

Profiles

Student

PhD student, studying obesity in children and adults. She completed her medical education (which in Mexico is an undergraduate degree), at the same university she is currently studying. She also teaches at the same school.

She owns two smart phones, one of which she uses personally and the other for work. She also has a tablet.

She is bilingual in Spanish and English, which is a requirement for the university (though she estimates that only half of the students can actually read in English).

Books vs. Internet resources

Books

Dean: books are more reputable and reliable. They are better for learning with specific, deep knowledge. It can take some months or years for new studies to be published into a book and then received at the University. The University has a large library of books that is constantly being updated.

Internet

Dean: the Internet is good for getting lots of information very quickly. Students use the Internet to prove their teachers wrong. Peer reviewed journals are available online to students through the network on campus or through a login if they're off campus.

PhD student: relies heavily on the Internet for her studies and learning. Her students use it every day in the classroom.

Wikipedia

Dean: Students do not use Wikipedia in their studies. It is unreliable and incomplete.

PhD student: She trusts Wikipedia content as a reference and uses it to look up particular concepts when she's practicing medicine from her smartphone in order to better explain them to her patients. She stated that the medical content available in Spanish is simpler. Many students use and trust Rincon del Vago over Wikipedia.